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Providence Therapeutics Publishes two New Papers Highlighting the Potential of mRNA Vaccines to Outpace Evolving Viruses Like COVID-19
CALGARY, Alberta, January 13, 2025 – Are we forced to keep updating vaccines to chase fast-changing viruses such as COVID-19 and flu viruses? Two newly published papers from the scientists at Providence Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (PT) and their collaborators show that we may outsmart the viruses, by using mRNA vaccines.
In the first paper that was published in npj Vaccines, https://rdcu.be/d5NGx, a bivalent mRNA vaccine made by PT was found to induce broadly reactive immune responses against multiple COVID-19 virus strains, including the recently circulating ones, such as Omicron XBB.1.5 and JN.1, even though they were not included in the bivalent mRNA vaccine (The bivalent mRNA vaccine encodes the two spike proteins, one from the original COVID-19 virus and one from an old Omicron strain). Furthermore, the bivalent mRNA vaccines can protect mice and hamsters from infection by multiple strains of COVID-19 virus, including XBB.1.5. The underlying mechanisms for this broad protection are the potent antibodies and in particular T cells induced by the bivalent vaccine. Compared to antibodies, COVID-19 virus can hardly evade from the T cells. Indeed, the findings reported in this paper indicate that although Omicron JN.1 evaded from the neutralizing antibodies elicited by the mRNA vaccine, T cell response remained largely intact against the JN.1. T cells induced by the bivalent mRNA vaccine were also barely affected by immune imprinting, a phenomenon that negatively affects updated vaccines in generating effective antibodies against new COVID-19 and flu virus strains. In conclusion, the findings reported in this paper support the “old” bivalent mRNA vaccines could still protect people from new Omicron strain infections by harnessing T cells, which was robustly elicited by the vaccine.
In the second paper that was published in Plos One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314061, another vaccination strategy to deal with the rapid mutation of COVID-19 virus was explored. A tri-antigenic COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was designed and manufactured at PT. This vaccine contains mRNA encoding two additional proteins of COVID-19 virus besides spike, nucleocapsid (N) and membrane (M) proteins (All currently approved COVID-10 vaccines only target spike). Compared to spike, N and M proteins are much less mutated in COVID-19 virus and thus attractive targets for development of next generation of COVID-19 vaccine, which can protect against multiple virus strains, old and new. Our collaborators at Sunnybrook Research Institute and University of Toronto tested the new tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine in mice as a booster dose (3rd dose) to mimic COVID-19 booster vaccination in humans. They found that the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine was as effective as PT’s spike-only mRNA vaccine in inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies and protecting mice from infection by an Omicron strain that carries a different spike from that encoded by the vaccines. Interestingly, the dose of the spike mRNA in the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine was half of that in the spike-only mRNA vaccine, suggesting the N and M protein encoded in the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine also helped generate effective immune response against spike. Overall, these results indicate that the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine provide an avenue to develop the next generation of broadly protective COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
Congratulations to our collaborators and the Providence Therapeutics team!
Providence and Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) partnering to discover and develop mRNA therapeutics
CALGARY, AB and TORONTO, May 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Providence Therapeutic Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a messenger RNA (mRNA) and lipid nanoparticle platform company engaged in the development of vaccines and therapeutics, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), Ontario's largest publicly funded cancer research institute delivering real-world solutions to people affected by cancer, today announced the signing of a collaboration agreement for mRNA drug discovery and development. This is a unique collaboration that combines OICR's expertise in cancer genomics and translational drug discovery with Providence's next generation of mRNA and LNP technology to accelerate preclinical drug development and launch new clinical initiatives that answer key questions in clinical oncology.
"OICR and Providence share a common vision of advancing research in cancer prevention and treatment in Ontario, across Canada, and globally. We look forward to leveraging Providence's next generation mRNA and LNP platform technology and drug development expertise alongside the experts at OICR to improve the lives of people battling cancer," said Brad Sorenson, CEO and Founder of Providence Therapeutics.
"Partnering with an mRNA industry leader like Providence will help OICR harness our strengths in bioinformatics, genomics and immunology to generate new and exciting ways to prevent and treat cancer," says Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi, President and Scientific Director of OICR. "I am especially excited for the impact this partnership will have for people affected by cancer as well as the potential economic value it can bring in helping drive Canada's leadership in this rapidly growing field."
OICR and Providence's partnership will help advance modern drug development in Canada and create new clinical initiatives that will touch the lives of people across the country. As product development and manufacturing will be done domestically, Canadians will be first in line to participate in new clinical oncology programs and access new treatments.
All programs that emerge from this strategic partnership will result in guaranteed country-of-origin rights to Canada that will ensure Canadians will have affordable access to any medicines created.
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence Therapeutics has developed an mRNA medicines platform and has established itself as a competitive player within the mRNA scene for the last 10 years. Consisting of a clinically proven mRNA platform and a next-generation lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) platform, the company developed to enhance immune responses to cancers and infectious diseases. Along with this, Providence also has manufacturing and regulatory platforms that are capable of producing drugs for personalized vaccines up to pandemic scale amounts. Providence has a robust pipeline consisting of preclinical and clinical oncology, infectious diseases, and animal health programs. These programs have been developed internally and in collaboration with academic and industry partners that specialize in many different fields. For more information, please visit https://www.providencetherapeutics.com
About Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
OICR is funded by the Government of Ontario. As the province's cancer research institute, we take on the biggest challenges in cancer research and deliver real-world solutions to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. We are committed to helping people living with cancer, as well as future generations, live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit http://www.oicr.on.ca
For further information:
Providence Contact: Jordan Schwartz, Director, Partnerships and Innovation, , Phone: 403-440-3599
OICR Contact: Daniel Punch, Manager, Communications and Public Affairs, , Phone: 647-291-4583
Providence Therapeutics Announces Partnership with University Health Network (UHN) for mRNA Therapeutic Discovery and Development
CALGARY, Alberta, June 2, 2023 – Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a biopharmaceutical company developing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and therapeutics, today announced its mRNA drug discovery partnership with University Health Network (UHN), ranked first on a list of Canada's top 40 research hospitals by Research Infosource Inc. and within one of the world’s top 5 hospitals for the fourth year in a row, as reported by Newsweek. This collaboration will allow Providence and UHN to develop mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics for those living with difficult to treat cancers and infectious diseases, using Providence’s proprietary mRNA platform technology.
“This partnership is unique in that it provides country-of-origin rights to Canada for all therapies developed under the agreement. As a parent of a child that survived a late-stage cancer diagnosis, I empathise with anyone that needs treatment that is available elsewhere in the world but is too expensive for our healthcare system in Canada,” said Brad Sorenson, MBA, chief executive officer of Providence Therapeutics. “UHN is world-class, and Providence has demonstrated its mRNA platform is on par with other major mRNA companies. This sets up Canada to be a leader in exporting life-saving therapies throughout the world while taking care of Canadians.”
Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President, Science and Research at the University Health Network added, “Our partnership with Providence demonstrates the strength of discovery research at the University Health Network and our potential to fuel innovative therapeutic options for patients. This partnership will help us get homegrown treatments to patients faster and is a key path forward for research discoveries to evolve into medical breakthroughs.”
Through this collaboration, UHN and Providence will be able to partner on cutting-edge discovery projects with breakthrough mRNA technology. The product development and subsequent manufacturing will be done in Canada, thereby directly benefiting Canadians.
Programs developed through the collaboration that receive funding from the Canadian government or not-for-profits will provide an option to the host government for 100% reimbursement to retain country specific rights to intellectual property.
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering mRNA therapeutics and vaccines with a focus on infectious diseases and oncology. Initially founded as a cancer vaccines company in 2015, in response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence expanded its focus beyond oncology therapies to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence works with multiple industry collaborators, universities, nongovernmental agencies and multiple arms of the Government of Canada to discover and develop vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases and cancer. This has resulted in the development of an mRNA vaccine platform that includes a proprietary design algorithm and proprietary, scalable manufacturing processes. For more information, please visit providencetherapeutics.com.
About University Health Network
University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in arthritis, cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information, visit: www.uhn.ca.
About Commercialization at UHN
Enabling and leading industry partnerships at UHN, Commercialization at UHN is UHN’s catalyst for accelerating its world-class research and innovation into medical products, devices and therapies that improve care for patients around the world. This is how we create a healthier world. For more information, visit: www.uhncommercialization.ca.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including regarding Providence's development plans, the initiation of phase 3 booster study, and the final analysis of the PRO-CL-002 Phase 2 study. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "could", "expects," "intends," "plans," "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Providence's control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: that here are a limited number of commercial products utilizing mRNA technology approved for use; the fact that mRNA technology in use by Providence is still being developed and implemented; the fact that the long term safety and efficacy of PTX-COVID19-B has not yet been established; inability to recruit patients for the conduct of the phase 3 booster study; the observation of adverse safety issues; issues regarding the manufacture and supply of PTX-COVID19-B; our capacity to meet supply and demand for our products; market acceptance of PTX-COVID19-B; the continuation of our collaborations and other significant agreements with our existing commercial partners and third-party suppliers and our ability to establish and maintain additional collaboration agreements; our expectations regarding our financial performance, including revenues, expenses, gross margins, profitability, liquidity, capital expenditures and income taxes; our estimates regarding our capital requirements; our ability to meet anticipated timelines for the development of our products; and unforeseen regulatory delays. Except as required by law, Providence disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Providence's current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
Investor Contact:
Judyanna Yu
Providence Therapeutics
587-430-3889
